Chapter 97: As If Wanting to Tear Something Open
Makoto was still surprised by Almond Eye's appearance when, on her way from the paddock to the starting point, Almond Eye instinctively glanced toward the stands, trying to spot the trainer's figure.
In order to find her own direction, she had been watching Kitasan Black, and naturally, she had also looked up some information on Makoto Yasui.
The result had left her deeply shocked—this person was actually the very same "genius" her family had once mentioned.
Deep inside, she felt he deserved that title.
After all, she had met plenty of trainers since childhood, and had heard many stories about them.
But she had never once heard of anyone becoming a trainer before turning twenty, and then immediately guiding an Umamusume to victory—including a G2 graded stakes win—right at their debut.
Even though they hadn't met yet, she felt certain he was the real deal.
When she was following Kitasan Black's guidance, she had even made a point to look over that senpai's notes.
And what she found there shocked her again: much of it was just like the teachings she'd heard from her own family, but mixed in were things she had never even encountered before—things that clearly came from him.
Every trainer her family had ever hired was already well-established. If Yasui-san's theoretical knowledge was already at that level, then his actual training ability couldn't possibly be lacking.
That only made Almond Eye even more eager to meet him, to see just what kind of trainer he truly was.
However, there were thousands of people who had come to watch today's event. The elementary school grounds didn't have very large stands, and trying to pick out one person from the dense crowd was no easy task.
Her gaze drifted for a while, until she looked toward the very front row.
"Hey—Ai-chan, over here, over here!"
Fingers gripping the railing so hard they went pale, eyes fixed directly on her, Kitasan Black quickly caught her kouhai's glance.
"Do your best! I'll be right here, watching your race the whole time!"
"…Got it. I'll do my best."
By now she had a pretty good grasp of this senpai's cheerful, energetic personality. Whether or not the other heard her, she muttered a reply to herself, before turning her gaze back to the starting line.
Just like in official races, the starting gates were set up there.
The only difference was that these gates were much shorter and narrower—just the right size for elementary schoolers.
Several competitors were already in position inside, all familiar classmates.
Looking at those familiar faces, Almond Eye couldn't help but smile, her breath growing rapid.
She'd been in events like this before, races chosen at her family's insistence—but those were always short-distance sprints.
This 2000-meter distance would be her first.
More importantly, she hadn't told her family at all about entering this event.
The strangeness and uncertainty of such a brand-new race, coupled with the anxiety of making this decision alone behind her family's back, brought with it an excitement and nervousness she had never felt before.
'So, when you see me competing in this kind of race… I bet you'll be surprised…'
She glanced at the stands once more, took a deep breath, then slowly let the smile fade from her face as she stepped into the gate.
Just as she bent down into her starting stance, ready to go over Kitasan Black's instructions from that morning, she suddenly heard a low, startled murmur from beside her.
"…Almond Eye, you're really going to run in this race…?"
Casting a sidelong glance at the neighboring gate, Almond Eye couldn't suppress the surge of excitement and nervous tension that tugged her lips back into a smile.
Still, her voice remained calm.
"What, is that a problem?"
She looked forward again. "Besides… I'm already standing here. You're not going to try to talk me into withdrawing now, are you, Satono Hakuro?"
In the gate next to hers, also crouched in a starting stance, was a young Umamusume with long black hair.
Among the black strands, a single lock of white fringe stood out. Her small face faintly resembled that of the Satono sisters.
"…You've misunderstood. I never said that."
Still looking somewhat stunned, the young Umamusume named Satono Hakuro also turned her gaze forward, pushing up the bridge of her nose with her finger.
"It's just… from a rational standpoint, you've never trained for 2000 meters before. And it seems your family doesn't exactly support—"
Before she could finish, Almond Eye cut her off in a quiet voice:
"This has nothing to do with anything else."
"I want to run 2000 meters. That's why I came. It's that simple."
"Besides, you'd better focus on your own race."
"I'd hate for you to get distracted talking to me and end up with a slow start."
Unconsciously pushing her glasses again, Satono Hakuro sighed inwardly.
She was Almond Eye's classmate and knew a bit about her situation.
And from listening to her elders talk at home, she also had some idea of the expectations her family had placed on her—as well as the fact that Almond Eye had her own will.
That was why, when the teacher announced that Almond Eye would be among the participants, she had been shocked on two counts: first, why Almond Eye suddenly wanted to run a distance outside of her usual sprints; and second, wasn't she afraid of being scolded by her family?
But now that Almond Eye was already standing in the gate, with the race about to begin, there was nothing more to say.
All Hakuro could do was set aside her shock and curiosity, recall Satono Crown's advice from that morning, and focus on the gate in front of her.
'Right… Senpai said the start is crucial. Even a slight delay means losing the initiative…'
'After that, from this position, I can consider cutting inside. But the outside lane isn't bad either, as long as I watch my angle on the turns…'
'If all goes well, I should have enough stamina left for the final sprint…'
Just as those thoughts ran through her head, the broadcast rang out, now clearly more excited:
"Excellent! Our future stars are all set in the gates, every one of them ready to burst forward!
"Now then, this 2000-meter turf race, our very own 'Little Satsuki Sho,' is about to start—wha-wha-WHAT!?"
Determined not to be distracted, Hakuro had sharpened her focus the moment she heard the starter's call. Which was why the announcer's startled exclamation rang so clearly in her ears.
But she had no attention left for the words that followed.
Because, in the corner of her vision, she too saw it—the instant the neighboring gate sprang open, a chestnut-haired figure shot out at blinding speed, gone in the blink of an eye.
The announcer was still crying out in astonishment:
"Th-this is… Almond Eye-chan!"
"No, wait! It's Almond Eye-san… Almond Eye the competitor!"
"At the very moment of the break, Almond Eye exploded with incredible speed, seizing first place in an instant!"
"Is she… is she running like it's a sprint? Well, it's true she comes from a family famous for short-distance strength…"
Since it was one of the school's teachers serving as announcer, the commentary lacked the polish of a real race.
But no one cared.
Every eye was fixed on Almond Eye, astonished by the sheer velocity bursting out of her small frame.
As if she were trying to tear something open, in just a handful of seconds, her figure had already pulled dozens of meters clear of the starting gate and left every opponent trailing behind at a distance visible to the naked eye.
The stands erupted at once.
Most people had come expecting nothing more than a children's game out of this event.
But none of them had anticipated that from the very start, this so-called "game" would give them the same thrill as watching a real race.